To eat meat or not this Eid al-Adha and Paryushan?

Two festivals: one that demands an animal sacrifice, another abhors the taking of a life. One sees the ritual offering of an animal (goat, sheep, cattle or camel) as a reaffirmation of love and submission to the Almighty. The other requires abstinence and withdrawal as a form of purifying the soul and seeking forgiveness for past misdeeds. The first is the Muslim festival of Eid-ul Zuha, also written as Eid-ul Adha, which falls on September 25 this year; and the second is the Jain parva of Paryushan that lasts eight to ten days in the lunar month (the duration of the parva varies for the Swetambara and Digambara sects of the Jains).

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The times we live in being what they are, there is no shortage of facile questions that perpetuate stereotypes and deepen divides: Can the taking of life (no matter what the cause or belief) be justified? Is the religion that speaks of non-violence towards all sentient beings not preferable to one that requires the spilling of blood? Is one better than the other for reasons of political correctness? By extension, does this make one religion right, and the other wrong? Should our vote, for what it is worth, go to the one that harks back to an ancient (read barbaric) practice of sacrifice, or a more evolved (read gentle and humane) belief system that shuns the taking of any life force?

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But the times we live in require us to go beyond these facile questions and commonly-held misconceptions. For, it is precisely the superficial understanding of these two festivals - both solemn and important in their own way to believers - that causes outrageous reactions such as banning of meat and prohibition of slaughtering to "honour" the feelings of one community at the expense of the other. Before the dominant discourse prevails over the "other" - leading to a deeply, irrevocably fissured world - let us pause to understand what the two festivals symbolise and the underlying spirit of these two seemingly antithetical belief systems.

Unlike the other Eid, the Eid-ul Fitr that comes after the month-long fasting during Ramzan, this Eid, is a solemn occasion. Popularly known as Bakr-eid, many think it derives its name from the bakra (goat) that is usually sacrificed; instead, it derives its name from the Surah al-Baqarah ("The Heifer"), the second surah (chapter) of the Quran. While the word "Eid" literally means festival and both occasions are festive, this one is also a day of remembrance. It reminds Muslims the world over of the biblical story of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice the thing that was dearest to him - his first-born child Ishmael - to a command from Allah. It also marks the culmination of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, which is not merely farz (obligatory) and one of the five pillars of Islam, but also a matter of great pride and joy for Muslims the world over. And on any given Bakr-eid, every Muslim will know of some relative, friend, or neighbour who is away for Hajj and is, as we speak, performing this most sacred of duties. If Eid-ul Fitr gives the occasion to celebrate and partake of the bounty that Allah has granted after a month of abstinence and introspection, this Eid reminds Muslims of the importance of qurbani as well as patience and constancy - the hallmarks of a true believer. While peace and salutations are offered to Abraham everyday as part of the daily namaz, on this day, his obedience and willingness are commemorated by a token act of sacrificing an animal, such as a goat or sheep.

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The day begins with congregational prayers in an Eidgah; the Eid namaz is followed by a special khutbah (sermon) and then, after the customary Eid greeting of embracing three times, the men usually go to graveyard to offer fateha to their ancestors. At home, the sacrifice has to be performed at the earliest possible. Its meat is divided into three equal parts: one for the poor and needy, one for friends and neighbours and a third for one's self. No distinction is to be made regarding who it goes to; for it must be sent to friends and neighbours regardless of religion or rank.

As for Jainism, its underlying principle is ahimsa (non-violence) and a strict vegetarianism that forbids the eating of root vegetables because small insects can be killed or damaged when a root, such as garlic, onion or potato, is pulled out. The life-long practice of self-control - coupled with fasting, meditation and prayer - encourages spiritual development, in turn leading to the breaking of worldly barriers and ultimate salvation.

To come back to where we started: surrender is the cornerstone of one belief system, and abstinence of the other. Must we choose? Must we live in an either-or, a binary? Must we force one to make way for the other? Can't both be good and right?